Greater New Orleans

Lacombe cancer survivor thankful from bottom of her brand new heart

Although many people think of Valentine’s Day and affairs of the heart during February, for Lacombe resident Julie Bacon, this month will be about more than chocolate and flowers and cards. This month, Bacon will celebrate February as National Heart Month and her six-month mark with her own newly transplanted heart.

Handout artA benefit will be held Feb. 19 at St. John of the Cross Catholic Church in Lacombe to support breast cancer survivor Julie Bacon, who also recently underwent a heart transplant.

Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, Bacon began chemotherapy and a long, tough road of recovery from that and other physical and environmental challenges.

“2005 was a tough year for me. I was in the hospital just days before Katrina, and had to evacuate as it approached. Our home was damaged, and we had to deal with rebuilding while I was treated. To say the least, it was a stressful time,” she said.

While the chemotherapy proved successful for the cancer, an unfortunate, and deadly, side-effect was permanent heart damage. Bacon went on the donor list and waited two long years for her new heart, which she received in July 2010.

Unfortunately for Bacon and her family, along with her treatment, transplant, and multiple medications to help keep her healthy came a mountain of medical bills and paperwork.Enter the National Foundation for Transplants.

“I am so grateful for my heart and my health, but each time I went in to the hospital, dating all the way back to 2005, the bills would add up,” she said. “I have a dining room table full of bills. That’s when we found out about the National Foundation for Transplants. I felt humble by the idea of a campaign to help us pay our bills, but it really has helped so much.”

The National Foundation for Transplants (NFT), a nonprofit organization based in Memphis, Tenn., works with patients across the United States to help them raise funds, negotiate financial assistance, and work through paperwork and bills associated with their transplants.

“Of course we’re thrilled Julie received her transplant,” said NFT fundraising consultant Claire Prince, “but we know that’s just one of the hurdles she’ll face. Many people are unaware of the lifetime of expenses related to transplants and the essential medications and follow-up treatments. Julie and her family have overcome so many challenges in the past five years, and NFT is dedicated to helping them raise the necessary funds so she can return to a normal life.”

According to their research, NFT estimates that a heart transplant typically costs $750,000, plus the additional medical expenses for follow-up care and a lifetime of medications, which can cost from $2,000 to $5,000 per month.

“My body tried to reject my new heart, so my doctors put me on immuno-suppressant medications,” Bacon said. “I will be on these the rest of my life, and they are quite expensive.”

To celebrate Julie’s six-month anniversary of her transplant and to raise funds for her medical expenses, friends and family are hosting a benefit Feb. 19, starting at 6 p.m. in the Community Center of St. John of the Cross Catholic Church, 61051 Brier Lake Road, in Lacombe.

While all 300 dinner tickets have been sold, Bacon encourages anyone interested in joining the festivities to come on by.

“We had generous donations of food from Sal and Judy’s Restaurant, the Napoleon House and Acme Oyster House,” she said. “We sold all of the dinner tickets so fast. We will have lots of other great things for people to enjoy besides the food. We are having a silent auction. We have two raffles. One is a 50-50 raffle in which the winner takes home half of the money raised by the tickets. We also have a signed Saints football raffle. We will have music and a craft table for kids. It’s going to be a fun night. I’m lucky to have so many friends and family that have helped me through all of this.”

Proceeds from the benefit will be placed in an account set up for Bacon by NFT, which is overseeing the paying of her bills. “It helps so much for me to have NFT to raise and manage these donations so I can concentrate more on getting better,” she said. “We may not have been able to keep going without them and the help from all of our friends and family.”

For more information on NFT, visit the website at www.transplants.org. To make donations in honor of Bacon, click on “patients we help” and search for her profile.

February is National Heart Month. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the U.S. NFT encourages all to celebrate by evaluating their lifestyles, learning more about the symptoms of heart disease and taking the steps to protect themselves and their family and friends.